Eritrea

Eritreas authorities, under Isaias Afewerki's leadership, have made it very difficult for international actors to work there. Today, only four international aid organisations are present in the country. One of them is Norwegian Church Aid. The UN and international aid organisations are hampered by strict fuel restrictions, and are often prevented from leaving the capital, Asmara.

The Norwegian Refugee Council's "Global Overview of Refugees and IDPs" for 2009 describes the situation for humanitarian actors in the following way: "The Eritrean authorities have made working conditions so unbearable that most of the UN organisations and non-governmental organisations have chosen to leave the country or reduce their activities to a minimum. This is a serious humanitarian threat in a country where large sections of the population depend on food aid." The situation has not improved and the aid administration is highly resource intensive. Changes in the cooperation may be necessary.

The UN imposed sanctions on Eritrea on 23 December 2009. Norwegian sanctions came into force in the spring of 2010, and include a ban on export of weapons to Eritrea, and a ban on any kind of military assistance to the country.

Food security

Almost 80 per cent of the country's population is employed in agriculture. This makes the country more vulnerable when prolonged drought comes. Norway has stepped up the support related to food security and management of natural resources. The humanitarian situation is characterized as serious, and efforts to prevent humanitarian crises are intensified.

Reconciliation

War and conflict remain the greatest threat against growth and poverty reduction in Africa. Hence support for conflict resolution and peace building has a high priority. In this context Norway has an active involvement in Eritrea. However, in Norway, the dialogue process has been criticized for lack of results.

Reduced genital mutilation

The work for gender equality has a long way to go in many African countries, and Norwegian support to women and equal rights has high priority. Norway sees the work of combating genital mutilation as very important, and supports country specific projects in eight countries: Egypt, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Kenya, Mali, Somalia, Sudan and Tanzania.

Furthermore, the work against genital mutilation is supported through multilateral projects, for instance through the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting, aiming at combating genital mutilation in 17 African countries. Positive results from these efforts have been documented, and the number of circumcised women in Eritrea is decreasing.

Norway also supports a project offering women suffering from fistula an opportunity for surgery.

Culture and the enjoyment of reading

The Eritrea Publishers Association has organized The Book Fair for the tenth consecutive year. The Norwegian Embassy has supported the fair for the past three years. The Book Fair has grown into an important cultural institution in Eritrea, particularly focusing on children and young people. It is an important forum for promoting reading enjoyment and culture. According to the organizers, the fair had more than 65 000 visitors last year.